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Next Thursday: a special issue on the school of journalism’s teach-in on why news media matters
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ryersonian.ca Volume 71 Number 17
Produced by the Ryerson School of Journalism
Championship state of mind LUKE GALATI RYERSONIAN
With the provincial championship won, the champagne popped and history made, the locker room in Ottawa was a scene that brought downtown Toronto and Ryerson into the nation’s capital. What they just achieved had never been done in Ryerson history. Last Saturday, the Ryerson Rams men’s basketball team won its second straight provincial championship. With that win, the team moves on to this week’s nationals as the No. 1 seed. “What they did today was beautiful,” coach Roy Rana said after the team beat the Carleton Ravens. But now the focus shifts to the national championship tournament, which begins Thursday evening at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. Ryerson will be playing at 5 p.m. in the quarter-finals against the No. 8-ranked Saint Mary’s. Please see NATIONALS, page 9
What’s online Head over to ryersonian.ca to read up on a team of RyerText goes here. Xxxxx xxxan xxapp x x.in Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx of son students who created Dubai, the winners xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx the Viola Desmond awards and so much more. xxxxx Xxxxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx xxx xx x x. Xxxxx xxxxx Xxxxx
ANDREA VACL | RYERSONIAN
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Ryerson’s new provost page 5
News
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
One giant leap for Ryerson LAUREN MALYK RYERSONIAN
Ryerson University is taking the lead on space. Ryerson’s president Mohamed Lachemi, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Science Minister Kirsty Duncan and the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Guy Levesque announced that the university will receive $128,000 in funding for the development of spacecraft dynamics testing. The winner of the grant was Anton de Ruiter, as associate professor with Ryerson’s aerospace engineering department. “Funds like this help us attract talented people to this country and retain them. (De Ruiter) is actually from New Zealand,” said Lachemi. The investment was made by the Canadian government through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund. The fund allows universities to attract and retain researchers from around the world by funding the tools needed for their research. De Ruiter’s research will address spacecraft dynamics
and controls needed to carry out future space missions. He described his project as a very large and very flat “table that could float replica space crafts on it” to co-ordinate. “(it is) similar to how a spacecraft would co-ordinate in space, so it’s a frictionless environment that will co-ordinate what to do once (the spacecraft is) in space,” said de Ruiter. Morneau said investments in science are important throughout the country, and Ryerson isn’t the only university receiving funding. The University of Toronto is receiving $4.9 million for various projects relating to stem cells and robotic radiology. In addition, York University is receiving over $400,000 in funding for its women’s reproductive health centre to study cell carcinomas and build a lab for thermo-magnetics. Funding is allocated based on “the scope of the project. It’s not (just) U of T’s bigger so they get more money. It’s just the project,” says de Ruiter. @lmalyk
LAUREN MALYK| RYERSONIAN
Bill Morneau, Mohamed Lachemi and grant winner Anton de Ruiter.
YASMIN ARNAOUT| RYERSONIAN
Obaid Ullah and members at the board of directors meeting last week.
RSU: We need another month, to reimburse 6 fest tickets YASMIN ARNAOUT AND TAYLOR MOYLE RYERSONIAN
The Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) is asking some students to wait another month or more before they see refunds for their concert last fall. At the latest RSU board meeting, Harman Singh, vice president of student life and events, vowed again that all students who issue a request for refund will get their money back from the 6 Fest concert, but he’s asking for still more time. Approximately $80,000 was put into Singh’s personal account so that he could distribute the funds to students. He has been refunding tickets to students one by one after the October concert was rescheduled, disappointing many students. In the meeting, Singh was questioned repeatedly about the refunds.
Abisola Asha, a representative from the faculty of community services, said she doesn’t know what to tell students when they confront her about their money. She said people ask her when they’re going to be refunded. Asha said students should get an apology for the whole ordeal. Singh did not provide an official date for a reimbursement deadline even though board members pressed for it at the meeting. The original $80,000 has been given out already, according to RSU president Obaid Ullah. “Proof has personally been given out to the financial control of the RSU,” he said. Singh said he’s willing to use approximately $1,000 of his own money to reimburse students, as he has almost run out of provided funds. The lack of funds could be a result of the transaction fees that come with e-transfers, he said.
As a response, board members voted to change how the money is distributed, opting for cheques rather than e-transfers. According to Singh, the RSU is still reviewing the fund screenshots one by one. The board also discussed the potential production of a report on the 6 Fest funds, but the meeting exceeded its allotted time before a decision could be reached. “Until refunds are done, we don’t want to issue a full report,” Ullah said. At one point, the board meeting was moved to another room, but it lost quorum during the shuffle. Board members also reinstated several directors after some had their spots vacated for poor attendance at meetings. @ArmaoutYasmin @taylormoyle
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Going around in circles
While Toronto may have come a long way in its establishment of bicycle infrastructure, it still has far to go. JENNIFER FERREIRA RYERSONIAN
The solution to better, more accommodating cycling infrastructure in the city of Toronto involves more than just adding bike lanes. Canadian-Danish urban design expert Mikael Colville-Andersen spoke at the Fairmont Royal York last Monday on best practices for cycling infrastructure as part of the “Getting Cycling Right” event hosted by the Ontario Good Roads Association. While the CEO and founder of Copenhagenize Design Company — an urban planning consultation group — acknowledged efforts made by Toronto to improve bike safety, he emphasized that true reform lies in changing the way the public views cyclists. “We have this perception of cyclists as being the rogues of the urban landscape,” Colville-Andersen said, addressing the crowd. “You cannot scold people if you have not given them proper, intelligently designed, cohesive infrastructure to ride on.” The city’s chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat, who also spoke at the event, described a reluctance towards building upon cycling infrastructure in Toronto and across Canada. She blamed this on the narrow understanding Canadians have of how their cities should be designed. “There’s this tension that always emerges whenever you look at the international best practice (for cycling infrastructure), where we think that somehow…our cities are unique, that
JENNIFER FERREIRA | RYERSONIAN
Above is a map showing the bike racks, posts and more located on and around Ryerson campus.
you can’t (expand cycling infrastructure) here because our cities are different, our weather is different, our politics are different,” Keesmaat said. “That’s 100 per cent in our minds.” It was only in June of last year that Toronto city council approved a 10-year cycling plan that would involve building 525 kilometres of new cycling infrastructure across the city. Even then, the accepted version of the proposal only included studies on Yonge and Bloor streets, leaving out eight major arteries, including Jane Street and Kipling Avenue. The plan contributes to the idea of a “minimum grid” — a basic network of bike lanes connected throughout the city, instead of the bits and pieces scattered across Toronto today. The concept was developed by Cycle Toronto and calls for the establishment of 100 kilometres of protected bicycle lanes as well as 100 kilometres of bicycle boulevards on residential streets by 2018. “Often, (cycling) doesn’t quite feel like a real choice because there’s gaps in the network or you have to take a circuitous route,”
Keesmaat said. “Building out the network makes it a real choice.” But cars and bikes continue to battle for space on Toronto roads today. Data collected last September and October on a pilot project involving the establishment of bike lanes on Bloor Street shows that while the number of cyclists using these lanes rose by 36 per cent, travel times for cars also rose by over eight minutes. The city is now considering making changes to the project to reduce its impact on motor vehicle travel times. One of the most comprehensive studies on cycling behaviour to date was released in October by Ryerson’s TransForm Lab. The study, led by assistant professor of urban planning Raktim Mitra, looked at the potential for growth in the number of people who commute by bicycle in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Areas. According to the study, 4.35 million trips made by motor vehicles in the area were five kilometres or less in distance, making them highly cyclable. While unsure if his research is being used by city council, Mitra says that at the university
level, Ryerson’s campus facilities departments are using this data to inform their strategy planning. In August 2016, the university launched a Campus Public Realm Plan, which Mitra’s report, since its release, has been used to help guide. The plan, set to undergo phase one this year, proposes several dismount zones where cyclists are prohibited from riding their bikes at certain times. It also suggests the establishment of more bike lanes on streets across campus. The only nearby road with any bike lanes at the moment is Gerrard Street. The plan makes no mention, however, of increasing indoor bicycle parking on campus. Currently, the only indoor parking space for bikes is Ryerson’s Bicycle Room, located behind 110 Bond St. The room has just 57 racks. Limited space along with no application fee means these spots fill up quickly at the beginning of each semester. Mitchell Mohorovich, a fourth-year computer science student, has been trying to secure a spot every semester since he started at Ryerson. He
only managed to get one in January — three and a half years into his undergraduate degree. “It’s a school of thirty-something thousand undergrads, plus staff, plus grad students, plus faculty,” Mohorovich says. “You sort of expect (the long wait) when there’s this many (people).” Despite this, Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi says the school will see more of these indoor parking spaces in the near future. According to the president, the Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex, which is currently under construction and expected to be completed by 2018, will include a bike locker with room for over 250 bikes. “Our office of sustainability here has recently conducted a… bicycle parking audit and…identified that…currently, we have 1,150 bicycle parking spaces of all types on and around the campus, which is a positive thing, but it’s not enough,” Lachemi says. “Increasing ease of commute and accommodation of cyclists is very important to us.” For Mohorovich, this is a step in the right direction. As an avid cyclist and one who commutes to Ryerson by bicycle from Leslieville almost every day, he fears having his $800 bike exposed to the elements and potentially stolen if parked outside. “Having (my bike) in that room that has only 57 people and security…and…three cameras, there’s no way it’s getting stolen,” he says. “It’s a hell of a lot safer (than parking outside).” While building more of these rooms across campus may help, Mohorovich says, similar to the tune of last week’s event, that change must go beyond just infrastructure. “A lot of people (ride bikes) because...it’s just the cheaper alternative. There needs to be a culture shift towards not viewing the car as the only viable mode of transportation.” @j_ferrei
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017
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News 5
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Men’s group wants status BY LAUREN MALYK RYERSONIAN
The Ryerson Men’s Issues Awareness Society (MIAS) wants to apply again for student group status. MIAS’s new president Sarah Hafizi spoke about the club’s current status at the Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE)’s event on the importance of men’s mental health. “I definitely appreciate the help that CAFE has given us and we will not be able to do events really in the future without them. They’ve offered us an amount of help that I cannot begin to express to you how grateful I am for,” said second-year social work student, Hafizi. “The only thing that’s difficult is that in order for us to operate on
LAUREN MALYK | RYERSONIAN
Kathryn Wallace, Sarah Hafizi and Justin Trottier on March 2, 2017.
our own we do have to eventually separate ourselves from CAFE.” Originally, Hafizi tried to secure a room for the event but learned that since her group was not recognized, they would have to pay. In October of 2016, the group
was denied student group status on the grounds that its focus on men’s issues ran contrary to the student government’s “equity values.” Their subsequent appeal last January was also unsuccessful. Previously, Kevin Arriola was president of MIAS but he has
Ryerson welcomes new provost BY EMILY SREBOTNJAK RYERSONIAN
Michael Benarroch, who is currently the dean of the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba, has been appointed as Ryerson University’s new provost and vice-president, academic effective July 1. Benarroch earned his bachelor of arts in economics at the University of Winnipeg, his master’s degree in economics from Western University and a doctorate in the same major from Carleton University. He worked for the University of Winnipeg for 21 years, during which he helped create the faculty of business and economics and served as its founding dean before entering his current role at the University of Manitoba. Benarroch worked with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, and later served on the economic advisory council for the premier of Manitoba. In 2009, he was given the Shem Tov Award for service to the community by the Jewish Foundation of
Winnipeg. According to a press release issued by Ryerson, Benarroch is excited to embark on his new journey. “I am extremely pleased to be joining a university so renowned for innovation, community engagement, diversity and a learner-centred culture,” Benarroch said. “The provost’s position is an exciting opportunity to contribute to Ryerson’s continued and future success.” The provost is responsible for providing leadership in academic policy and programming, strategic planning and university
budgeting. Benarroch will be Ryerson’s chief academic officer, chief operating officer and the principal adviser to the president on all academic affairs. Prior to Benarroch’s appointment, associate professor Chris Evans had been serving as interim provost and vice-president, academic since December 2015, a spot once held by current president Mohamed Lachemi. Lachemi was appointed president of the university last September. The president is confident that Benarroch is the right fit for this position: “He has experience and expertise,” says Lachemi. “He has a very strong, strategic plan for the (Ted Rogers School of Management), focusing on things that are extremely important for us at Ryerson.” Lachemi says that among other important topics, Benarroch plans to focus on providing quality education and engaging with the community. @emilysrebotnjak
now shifted to events co-ordinator. Last year Arriola filed a lawsuit against the Ryerson Students’ Union to reassess the group. CAFE organized the entire event and invited MIAS executives to speak. The event highlighted McGill psychiatrist Rob Whitley’s work examining mental health services utilization, the high rate of men committing suicide and solutions. As the night progressed various speakers from community service organizations at Ryerson and in Toronto spoke. Justin Trottier, the executive director at the Canadian Centre for Men and Families and CEO of CAFE, connected MIAS’s new president with fellow Ryerson student, Kathryn Wallace. They share an interest in men’s health. Wallace is now a financial
executive with MIAS. “You’re allowed to ask questions. You should be allowed to, it’s a university. If discourse can’t take place here then where can it take place? Even if it is challenging and against the norm, we should still give people a place to speak, “ said Wallace. Trottier said he believes it would be optimal if there were a ratified group on campus that could organize these events in the future. @lmalyk
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R yers ‘I’ll Have Some Fries W Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Features yersonian
Female Ryerson students share their sexual harassment stories ALEXANDRIA PANKRATZ RYERSONIAN Here’s a scenario. You’re out for dinner with your friends and an attractive host seats you in a comfy booth. The overly dim lighting casts a glow on your table as an equally attractive woman greets your table with an overly zealous greeting. You can’t help but feel important. Now put yourself into that girl’s high heels. A study in 2014 found that 80 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment while working in the service
Case #1: Niki Meet Niki Paiva. She is 22 years old and is a fourth-year criminology student. Throughout her degree, she has played on the Ryerson Rams soccer team while also working in a restaurant in downtown Toronto. Pavia said that at her current job, a lot of the clients are in suits and are individuals looking for a “high-end dining experience.” She said that she does use her sexuality to her advantage because she knows that she will make more money that way. However, she has had experiences where guests will cross a line. “I have had guys touch my arm and even stroke my hair, or they will leave their numbers and ask for mine after they tip me on their bill. Guys will expect something in return for a good tip, and they get sour if I don’t put out,” said Pavia. Pavia is a bartender so she said that it is hard to avoid inappropriate situations because when she’s behind the bar,
industry. Sexual harassment towards women working in the restaurant industry is nothing new. But do you know to what extent it happens? Many university students work as servers, bartenders or bottle service girls to help pay their way through school. Several female Ryerson University students shared some of their personal experiences in the service industry in downtown Toronto..
managers tell the girls that they have to be chatty with everyone who sits down. “I have had managers ask me what’s wrong if I am not smiling, but they never say that to the guys that work with me,” said Pavia. One time Pavia said she had a manager pull her aside because she wore her hair to work in a ponytail and they said that it was too messy and she has to always wear her hair down. Pavia said that at her restaurant, girls will come in and apply and she can tell almost immediately whether or not managers will even look at their resumé. “Girls will come in and apply, and we know they won’t hire them because they aren’t ‘good looking enough.’ There isn’t one girl at my work that would be considered overweight.” Pavia said that she doesn’t feel like the management has always cared for her well-being, especially when it comes to uncomfortable situations. “Everyone says being sexualized is part of the job. It doesn’t have to be part of the job.”
“Everyone says being sexualized is part of the job. It doesn’t have to be part of the job.”
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Features
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
With A Side Of Dat Ass’ Case#2: Danielle Meet Danielle Guild. She is 22 years old and is a third-year retail management student. Guild worked at a pool bar as one of her first jobs in Toronto. The pool bar has the girls walk around in bikinis and do bottle service for guests who have purchased booths. “I had guys hit on me and they feel free to kiss and touch you,” said Guild. At clubs like these, the girls are expected to bring in clients to purchase their booths. Guild said she never personally slept with the men, but she knows of girls who did. Guild also said that at another club downtown, the girls were encouraged
Case#3: Ariel Meet Ariel Hughes. She is 21 years old and is a second-year creative industries student. Since she was 15 years old, she has worked in a restaurant and, for her, it’s more than a job; it is her ticket through university. Hughes’s first job in Toronto was at Jack Astor’s, and she said it was an entirely different
by management to do drugs and sleep with the customers. “I had a guy that kept grabbing my ass, and I told my manager, and he did nothing about it. The owners at that club always hit on me and tried to take me home,” said Guild. Guild said she also had club owners take home a portion of the tip pool, which is illegal. Servers are expected to tip out on sales percentages not based off of how large a tip is. Guild said she once got a $1,000 tip from a table and management forced her to give $500 of that tip directly to the club, even though she had earned that money fairly. “I had a hard time speaking up about that, but later I was thinking about how unfair that was. I also had a drunk guest argue with me about his bill, and he degraded me by calling me stupid and sometimes guys would even try and pull off the strings of my bikini.”
experience for her. “A couple of girls would get called out for not ‘looking their personal best.’ A male manager one time pointed at one of my female co-worker’s faces and said, ‘you have hit a new standard and I’m going to hold you up to it,’” said Hughes. The girls at Jack Astor’s had to buy the company uniform once they were hired. The uniform includes a tight, short lululemon skort, a skin-tight T-shirt that has a sassy slogan on the back and over-theknee socks. Hughes said that if it was an overly cold day they were allowed to
“I had a guy that kept grabbing my ass, and I told my manager and he did nothing about it.”
wear pants but they had to be tight lululemon leggings and a tight black zip-up jacket to match. According to Hughes, the managers are also not as hard on the boys that work at the restaurant. “Men make less money, and as a girl, we have to go through this, but we do make more money. Guys will come in and say they just came to be served by a woman.” Hughes said that she had a guy one time give her a big tip and then ask if he could touch her ass. “I was shocked and told him no he can’t, and he said, ‘But I gave you a nice tip.’”
“A couple of girls would get called out for not ‘looking their personal best.’”
CHRIS BLANCHETTE | RYERSONIAN
Why keep working in the industry if you are being treated with such disrespect? Each of these students had the same answer: it’s quick and easy money. With student debt looming over their heads, all too many young women put
up with the verbal and sexual abuse that accompanies the service industry. Sexual harassment in the restaurant industry is the elephant in the room, and it needs to be addressed. When the Ryersonian reached out to SIR Corp., the
company that owns Jack Astor’s, no one was available to comment on their policy in regards to sexual harassment in the workplace.
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Arts & Life
Read more Arts & Life online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Old friends turn to comedy ANDRE VARTY RYERSONIAN
Throughout high school theatre classes and Ryerson University’s radio and television program, there was one thing that Craig Scorgie could not stop doing — laughing. Now he continues the laughs with his new sketch comedy trio Good Game, performing at this year’s Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival on March 8. The trio consists of Scorgie, Nick Chenosky and David Horn. They were born and raised in London, Ont., and met in their high school drama class in 2006. They made their debut in 2008 at the London Fringe Festival. In its earliest stages, Scorgie’s sketch group consisted of more than just three people. “There was about five or seven of us at first but then a lot of people left when they realized how serious we were about it,” he says. Regardless, Scorgie believes three is the perfect number. “When you have three, it’s easier to find a joke that we all love,” he says. “We know it’s a good idea when we all laugh.”
ANDRE VARTY | RYERSONIAN
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Read more Sports online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 8, 2017
ANDREA VACL | RYERSONIAN
ANDREA VACL | RYERSONIAN
ANDREA VACL | RYERSONIAN
Men’s basketball moves into nationals at No. 1 NATIONALS cont’d ...
The Rams have finished in third place at nationals for two straight years. They’re looking to snap this streak of bronze in Halifax at The Final 8 tournament. The culmination of Canadian university basketball is being hosted by the Dalhousie Tigers this week. It’s the first time it has been held in Nova Scotia’s capital since 1987. The Rams hope they will end that tournament duplicating the celebration that took place after the OUA final. After that win, the team,
aware of what they just accomplished, took to Instagram live in celebration, singing Drake’s infamous 2015 record, but with a timely twist. “We going backto-back. OUA Champs, yeah we back-to-back,” the team screamed in unison. Adika Peter-McNeilly was gleaming in the locker room — and with reason. He walked his fans play-by-play through his monstrous dunk for the Rams in the Wilson Cup finals, giving his team a 70-66 lead with four minutes 10 seconds remaining. The Rams never looked back, winning for the first time at the Raven’s
Nest in 17 years. Peter-McNeilly dropped a smooth 29 points, shooting 50 per cent from the field with 12 rebounds in a dominant performance for the guard playing in his final season as a Ram. He’ll be pivotal for nationals, where Ryerson holds the No. 1 seed going into the tournament. He remembers the national championships last year, where Ryerson lost in the semifinals against Calgary. “That was a bitter taste in my mouth, losing that semifinal game,” he says. It’s still in the back of his mind he says, fuelling him to this day. “Those
are daily reminders how much I want it. I just thought about the year before and how I don’t want to feel like that again. I want to be a winner.” Ryerson president Mohamed Lachemi admits that he was hooked watching until the final buzzer. He says that he was in touch with coach Rana after both games this past weekend. Last year, Lachemi was doused with a Gatorade bucket full of ice water after the provincial championship victory at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC), as he stood beside Peter-McNeilly. His message to Rana was that
he’s proud of the team. “Last year, we also achieved something that is very unique in the history of our teams, back-to-back wins. I’m extremely happy, proud of them.” OUA Finals MVP, Ammanuel Diressa, summed up the goal moving into nationals very simply. “We want to make history for the program.” “We now have some unfinished business,” said Peter-McNeilly. “Knowing that it’s time to win a national championship.” @LukeGalati
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Editorial
ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 8, 2017
EDITORIAL
Prevention is first step About a month ago now, the Globe and Mail published an investigation into the reporting of sexual assaults to police across Canada. The 20-month investigation found an abysmal rate of one in five claims being dismissed as baseless, resulting in little to no further investigation from police. It highlighted something that experts have known for years: the relationship between public safety and citizens reporting to institutions that are to be held accountable for it remains problematic. Despite years of efforts to make the reporting process for sexual assault more effective and sensitive toward accusers, time and time again we hear stories detailing the failure of the current system. These instances only remind us that our current handling is a work in progress. But on university campuses, it’s crucial we acknowledge the role students play. Or rather, the treatment of their own safety as a joking matter. The first step in the ever-growing problem of sexual assault involves receiving unwanted attention. This does not mean, however, that the one to blame is the accuser – for what they wore, the time they were out, or what their actions were. These things should never matter. Where we can find a collective solution is in abandoning the
mentality of what some call body and slut-shaming, in favour of zero tolerance of a “boys will be boys” mantra. We acknowledge that gender-based violence is not the only thing worth talking about. But in honour of International Women’s Day this week, we are shining a light on the significance of everybody taking safety seriously – and recognizing that safety concerns can extend even into professional environments. Ryersonian reporter Alexandria Pankratz tackles the topic this week in a feature as she surveys different workplaces that may be promoting ideas that body-shame young women. Dismissing such instances as humourous is harmful, and refuses to acknowledge that safety, both on and off campus, is an intersectional issue. There must be efforts to educate young men and promote respect toward women. Toronto is a lively city, yes, with lively people and a diverse group living in close quarters. There are tips that students, especially young women, are given by their elders and mothers about how to remain safe in the city. While helpful, they are not the ultimate and permanent solution – promoting respect for women is.
MONIQUE JAGPAL | RYERSONIAN
Happy International Women’s Day from the Ryersonian.
OPINION
Demand true diversity PALAK MANGAT RYERSONIAN
Maybe it’s because I’m graduating soon, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the dreaded d-word: diversity. Year after year, I’ve sat in lectures, meetings, panel discussions – heck, even on the subway – and heard people preach about diversity. But I’ve begun to think more critically about who is preaching this and their possible motivation. And this is where another dreaded word comes in: quotas. Quotas are disheartening,
mainly because they are often set by people who are in positions of authority – in my experience, white males. Quotas seem to enforce this problematic idea of diversity for the sake of diversity. If merely filling a quota and placing a checkmark next to a box is the reason I am hired, there is something wrong – and it needs to be fixed. But until people demand to not be treated as a means to somebody’s end, true diversity cannot be achieved. Race is extremely important in today’s world. Speak to your friends and try describing a person they don’t know without mentioning their race or ethnicity – it’s nearly impossible. In a world where police reports identify a suspect as a “21-year-old South Asian female,” it’s clear the standard boilerplate model for identification follows this age, ethnicity, gender structure. That’s why, when reading a peer’s piece on diversity
in journalism, I was thrown off when she stated “I couldn’t understand how the most relevant identifier...was their ethnicity.” I’d caution against saying something is relevant in the world today, and that it should or should not be. Having worked closely with the author of that piece, I genuinely respect her position, and my overall argument on diversity’s significance remains the same. So, you’ve got two females, both in their senior year at Ryerson. Both have different opinions but the same overall argument. And that’s the point – two diverse females, and already you’ve got two diverse opinions with an interesting conversation. That’s what newsrooms need today, more than ever. A longer version of this column is available at ryersonian.ca. @palakmangat
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Read more Voices online ryersonian.ca Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Love letter from Lahore
‘Lahore was some sort of unreal fantasy that fed my wanderlust every day, literally and figuratively’ LAMEES WAJAHAT RYERSONIAN
When I received my Canadian passport in January 2016, I remember holding it in my cold, wintry hands and feeling overwhelmed. I had a Pakistani passport all my life, and I had plenty of stamps that embraced the green pages proudly. But the new blue pages were bare and waiting for the same treatment. I often wondered about which stamp would be the first on my new passport. After exotic daydreams and mindless scrolling on travel websites, I had made my decision in December. I would visit Lahore, Pakistan. Although I had grown up in the Middle East, and then Canada, it was important to me to visit my roots. My father often speaks in Punjabi, a robust and flavourful language reflective of the culture. Whenever he spoke it, I imagined the mustard fields and the colourful trucks from my childhood visits, but my dream would always be shattered when I turned the news on to see bomb attacks on schools
COURTESY LAMEES WAJAHAT
Lamees Wajahat outside a mosque.
COURTESY NADEEM WAJAHAT
One of the many bazaars Lamees Wajahat visited while in Pakistan.
and the shrines with blood spilled on their floors. Regardless of outside voices urging me to stay, I listened to my own and chose to fly there and stay for two months. The timing was convenient, because I was required to complete a six-week internship in the media to hone my journalistic skills and figure out what I wanted to do. I emailed a platform that I had admired for a while, MangoBaaz. I considered them revolutionary for changing the narrative of the more traditional media available. Through memes, videos and articles, they had given the youth of Pakistan a new way to digest their news. While most of their content was based on entertainment and social news, they addressed
controversial and taboo topics like rape, child prostitution and transgender rights. After a couple of video calls with the founders, Ali Ahsan and Ali Gul, I was invited to join the team. And thus, I set out on my journey. My time in the office was unlike any experience I’ve ever had. We were all a group of young individuals brimming with ideas, some of which we brought to life and some, we were hoping to build on. I learned how to write for a different audience, and challenged myself in that process with the topics I researched. I became comfortable with being in front of the camera and flirted with acting.
The environment was supportive and encouraging, even with bombs and increasing tensions taking place. When rubble decorated the streets and phones rang with worried voices and scary messages, we took care of each other. Lahore was some sort of unreal fantasy that fed my wanderlust every day, literally and figuratively. The curiosity in me led me to Badshahi Mosque, Anarkali bazaar and beyond. It led me to the hospital with a bad case of food poisoning, and then to a wedding showered in rose petals and confetti. Every morning I was surrounded by delectable foods and tantalizing smells that made me feel like I was home. Every night invited me to
exciting adventures and spontaneous drives to see the stars in the open sky. Strangers became friends and cousins became siblings over time. There was a pride in knowing this was mine and this is what coursed through my veins. I wanted to share it with the world. I soon started to immerse myself in what was a short-term love affair with Lahore. I learned to haggle with shopkeepers in fast-paced Urdu and guided rickshaw drivers with confidence. I gave up on my daily double-double coffee and replaced it with rich and fragrant chai, which soon became an addiction. I walked into this experience a little scared, unsure of what would happen. But after evading explosions, surviving three nights in a hospital and dodging marriage proposals, I realized I shouldn’t fear the unknown, rather welcome it. They say in Punjabi, “Jinnay Lahore nai vekhiya, woh jameya hi nai” which loosely translates to “whoever hasn’t seen Lahore, hasn’t lived.” It took me about 20 years to learn this. But it’ll take me a lifetime to forget.
@punjabisamosa
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Wednesday, March 8, 2017
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